Welcome to the
Royal Aeronautical Society
Hamburg Branch

Founded in 1866 to further the science of aeronautics, the Royal Aeronautical Society has been at the forefront of developments in aerospace ever since.

Today the Society performs three primary roles:

To support and maintain the highest standards for professionalism in all aerospace disciplines

To provide a unique source of specialist information and a central forum for the exchange of ideas

To exert influence in the interests of aerospace in both public and industrial arenas.

The Hamburg Branch

The purpose and objectives of the Branch is to provide an international forum for interested individuals to share their aerospace enthusiasm, for example by

Means of lectures and seminars to present and discuss latest subjects and achievements in aerospace;

Excursions to aerospace companies and Institutions;

Support to local city and community interests in the field of aerospace;

Exchange with other aerospace groups and societies.

Branch events are open to all who share an interest in aviation. Non-members of the RAeS are encouraged to attend and will receive a warm welcome at all Branch lecture evenings.

Join the Society?

The Royal Aeronautical Society membership provides a lot of benefits

Membership grades for professionals and enthusiasts alike

Over 22,500 members in more than 100 countries

Over 70 Branches across the world including 7 in Europe

Dedicated Careers Centre

Publisher of three monthly magazines

Comprehensive lecture and conference programme

One of the most extensive aerospace libraries in the world

For more information about joining the RAeS or RAeS Hamburg Branch, see Membership.

Branch Profile

Compared to many of the other RAeS Branches, the Hamburg Branch is relatively young having been formed only in 2005 to serve the growing aerospace community within the Hamburg region. It is the second Branch in Germany after Munich which was formed some 25 years ago. Hamburg is well known as a port and centre of shipbuilding and maintenance but it is less well known that aerospace also plays an increasingly important role in the local economy. Besides the three largest employers, Airbus, Lufthansa Technik and Hamburg Airport there are over 300 small and medium sized companies contributing to the aerospace sector. Including the Universities and research institutions there are nearly 40,000 people involved in aerospace in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.

Today the Branch consists of around 70 members. We put on roughly 8 lectures per year which are mostly in English. In addition we hold an annual special keynote lecture which follows our AGM and an Annual Christmas Dinner which is held at the Anglo-German Club in Hamburg. At this dinner, which has become very popular, we invite an aviation personality to give an after-dinner speech.

Lecture attendance is good with normally 50 to 80 attendees including many students. Non-members are also very welcome to attend our lectures and events and many do.

Our keynote lecture is held in commemoration of the German aviation safety pioneer Gerhard Sedlmayr. Named "The Gerhard Sedlmayr Lecture", it is dedicated to aviation safety topics. This lecture is usually held at Airbus and given by a recognised specialist in the field of safety.

We work closely with the local German societies, DGLR and VDI and the University for Applied Sciences (HAW), and together with them put on roughly 20 lectures per year. The lecture programme is jointly coordinated and advertised under the name "Hamburg Aerospace Lecture Series". The majority of the lectures are held in the Auditorium of the Hamburg University for Applied Sciences (HAW) and we also work closely with the University to attract the student audience. This cooperation works very well and is mutually advantageous. In the future we will also stage some of our lectures at the new ZAL Tech Centre in Hamburg-Finkenwerder

Every year we organise an excursion to a location of aeronautical interest. In the past we have visited the UK (twice), Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Paris and many locations within Germany such as Rolls-Royce Berlin, Dresden and Bremen etc.